Broadband Tech > Security > Security > Battlefield 2142 ships with spyware? Say it ain't so

Battlefield 2142 ships with spyware? Say it ain't so

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So. In the latest CGW podcast, they received retail boxed copies of BF 2142.

When you open the box, a big slip of paper falls out first, preceeding any discs or manuals. The slip of paper says, essentially, that 2142 includes monitoring software which runs while your computer is online, and records "anonymous" information like your IP address, surfing habits (probably via cookie scans), and other "computing habits" in order to report this information back to ad companies and ad servers, which generates in-game ads.

Now, I can live with certain in-game ads (though apparently there will be Dodge truck and Neon ads in the bleak, futuristic world of 2142), but including a lengthy description - outside of even the Eula - seems to indicate even EA knows that this is some shady borderline spyware shit. I don't support it and won't be buying 2142 (for a host of other reasons, too).

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Seems to me this is something that ought to be printed on the outside of the box... not on some inaccessible slip of paper packaged inside it. It's time for the computer gaming industry to absorb some truth-in-advertising and full-disclosure concepts! And it's time for their customers to enforce those principles upon them.
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If God wanted us to work with electrons, He'd make them big enough to see...

reply to Midak
From a Digg comment in »www.digg.com/gaming_news/BattleF···included : "Spyware: It's In the Game."

Heh, another reason not to get this game. I didn't like the beta. I will stick with BF2 and its mods. I hope EA doesn't add this spyware to it in the later patches.

reply to Blackbird
Yeah, in the form of a class action. Well, I will see what can be done with it and have no problem in posting everything I can find that it installs right here. I just got back from the store and I should have it on Wednesday. At least now I understand their 1.5GB of RAM recommendation.

reply to Midak
The BF2142 beta demo didn't last on my computer more than an hour. Trust me when I say don't worry about it because 2142 isn't worth it.

reply to Midak

reply to Midak
I wonder if the pirated, ad-free version has shown up yet on the various P2Ps. It's sad when cracked versions of games and certain other software are actually safer than the retail box version.

Not that I'm interested in the game anyway, but out of curiousity, will a software firewall block it without killing the game? Can it be removed? ....Does it go away completely when the angry user clicks "uninstall"? Just how persistent is this spyware?
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Think outside the fox...Seamonkey

reply to Midak
unless the ads are tunneled trough normal game traffic and/or trough a game server, blocking outbound and inboud traffic to/from the ads servers may be kindy easy...

The beta wasn't that good but the brand new demo rocks!

reply to Midak
What's the retail price for this game? If the answer is anything other than "free", then this whole concept is insane. Who would willingly pay for this???

Justin, it's not in the process and it need not be. They already have your account info and if you used EAD to get the game, they have your full name and address as well. I get enough spam mail for viagra and various other pharmaceuticals and I don't need to see it in game also. I would like to know if EA plans to compensate the players in anyway if they do make millions off of this advertising. Will they host contests, tournaments, etc? Hell, will they at least offer more support for it than they did for the last few titles?

I know that but I was responding to the message I quoted.

reply to Midak
I can't imagine paying for a game, then that game turning around and using my bandwidth to datamine me, and use me as a ongoing revenue source to boot.

To each their own...

gran turismoHD is by sony. You get the best racing sim there is with 100s of cars included, and then can buy more cars as they are developed if you want them. Or that is the idea. It is only an idea. Paying extra for extra content is nothing new. Consider all the various security products that charge extra for premium facilities.

reply to Midak
I agree with paying extra for extra but will EA give extra since they are getting extra? Since they will be making it hand over fist with the advertisers, will the next booster be free or will they more than likely charge $10-$20?

and we know that BF2142 isn't also a better game because of this potential advertising revenue stream?

Anyway sorry i'm in a caffinated mood right now. Yes EA is being a little sleazy here in not really explaining what they are doing but did anyone expect more from a publically listed company run not by digerati, but by suits? And since gamers are so desirous of games like this, most are going to put up with the relatively tiny real-world risks, in order to play it as delivered with ill-explained data collection technology and all.

reply to Midak
I wonder if the future gaming will be like this. I hope EA doesn't release patches with this spyware for older released games like BF2.